Meereen
Meereen is the northernmost and the largest of the three great Slaver Cities of Slaver's Bay. It is ruled by the Great Masters, the heads of Meereen's slaving families, and its wealthiest of citizens live in stepped pyramids. Their emblem is a harpy: a woman's torso, wings of a bat instead of arms, legs of an eagle and a scorpion's tail. Unlike Astapor and Yunkai, the Meereenese harpy does not carry anything in her claws. Meereen lies on the northeast coast of Slaver's Bay at the mouth of the Skahazadhan, where it flows from its origins in Lhazar through a range of sandstone mountains separating Meereen and the rest of Slaver's Bay from the red waste. The Dothraki sea lies to the north, beyond the river. To reach Lhazar from Meereen one must pass through the Khyzai Pass. City Layout Meereen is as large as Astapor and Yunkai combined. Like them it is made of brick, except here the bricks are of many colors. It has wide brick streets and narrow alleys, and the fighting pits are also made of red brick. Meereen's multi-colored walls are higher and better maintained than those of Yunkai, studded with bastions and anchored by great defensive towers at every angle. The north wall of the city runs along the river bank of the Skahazadhan, the river that flows through the city. Its west wall runs along the shore of Slaver's Bay. Bronze harpy heads with open mouths top its gates, from which the Meereenese can pour boiling oil to deter attackers. Meereen draws its water from deep wells instead of the Skahazadhan, into which the brick sewers of the city empty out. The monstrous Great Pyramid, located at Meereen's central plaza, is huge; eight hundred feet tall and topped with a towering bronze harpy. There are a score of lesser pyramids in the city, but none stand even half as high. The Temple of the Graces, west of the Great Pyramid, is a huge structure topped with golden domes. It houses the priestesses of Meereen, called the Graces. They are divided into groups, each with a specific color and specialty. The fighting pits of Meereen are huge circular arenas. The largest and most extravagant is the multi-colored Daznak's Pit. The zo Pahl family is the wealthiest family in the city. The wealthy grow figs, dates, and olives in pyramid terraces. There are also olive groves along the shores of nearby Slaver's Bay, and cedars once grew in the region. The Master’s Plaza The Master’s Plaza is the central area of the city, home to both the Great Pyramid and the Temple of the Graces. Passage through the plaza is strictly controlled, and only Great Masters and their guests are allowed to freely cross the Plaza. The pyramids that house the Great Masters are located along the outer edges of this district. An informal hierarchy has formed based on the proximity of a Master’s pyramid to the Great Pyramid. Scattered among these buildings are dozens of gardens, fountains, and bathhouses. Temple of the Graces The Temple of the Graces is huge structure with numerous golden domes that houses the Graces, priestesses of the Harpy. The Graces are separated into orders, each with its own colour. * The Green Grace - the smallest but most prestigious of the orders, there is only a single Green Grace in each city, as they are the priestesses of prophecy. It is not uncommon for a Great Master to consult with the Green Grace before making any major business decisions, and the Great Masters as a whole will often consult the Green Grace before going to war. * The Blue Graces - called the Healing Hands of the Harpy by the residents of Ghiscar, the Blue Graces serve much as the maesters bearing a silver chain-link do in Westeros. The Sapphire Quarters of the Temple of the Graces is a centre of medicine for primarily the wealthy of the city, but the Priestesses go out into the city on a weekly basis to serve those unable to make the journey. * The Red Graces - the most numerous of the Graces, Red Graces are priestesses of love, fertility, and sex. It is not unheard of for pillowslaves that have gained the favor of a Great Master to be taken in by the Red Graces. Red Graces are consulted most commonly by the wives of Great Masters who are attempting to conceive, and they sometimes grant private “prayer sessions” to Great Masters. * The White Graces - the White Graces are responsible for the day-to-day worship of the Harpy and the other Gods of Ghis. They hold important positions in all religious festivals, and are often of noble birth, but deemed unsuitable for the pleasure palaces. * The Pink Graces - sometimes known as the Graces of the Graces, the Pink Graces serve to support the other organisations in their order, most prominently through recruitment from the families of the Masters of Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen, but also as overseers of the guardsmen dedicated to the protection of the Green Grace. * The Purple Graces - with the exception of the Green Grace, the Purple Graces are the smallest group of Graces. This is because the Purple Graces are priestesses to the slaves. In practice, they perform many of the same functions as the White Graces, except for the enslaved of Meereen, as the slaves are not permitted to attend the same religious services as the Great Masters. * The Gold Graces - dedicated to service of the Great Masters in death as the other Graces are in life, the Gold Graces preside over the funeral rites of the nobleborn of the city, marking them with a vertical band of gold dye from hair-line to chin so that Hlaatep, The Seer knows them to be worthy of his judgement. The Harbour The harbour of Meereen is the southernmost district. It is always bustling with activity as sailors from all over Essos trade goods and slaves. The harbour area is dominated by the Harpy’s Light, a huge lighthouse dwarfed only by the Great Pyramid itself, which helps guide ships into the harbour. The Plaza of Service To the east of the Master’s Plaza is the Plaza of Service. This is the area with the greatest concentration of slaves, holding the slave markets, the pillowhouses, and most notably, the fighting pits. The largest and most celebrated fighting pit, Daznak’s Pit, is located along the western border of the district, closest to the Master’s Plaza. Mazdhan’s Maze Mazdhan’s Maze is the informal name given to the western district of the city. It is called so because this district is a labyrinthine maze of shops, homes, brothels, storehouses, and all other kinds of buildings. It is said that anything that one may need to buy can be found in Mazdhan’s Maze. The selling of slaves, however, is forbidden in the Maze, and must be done in the Plaza of Service, where the Great Masters and their guards can keep a closer eye on Meereen’s greatest resource. Recent History * 260AC - Yunkai and Astapor found the colony of Vochar on the Isle of Cedars. * 263AC - Meereen attempts to found a colony on the Island of Yaros, West of Yunkai. However, their efforts are stopped by the Yunkish, who fear that the island will be used as a base from which to invade the nearby Yunkai. * 265AC - Tensions nearly bubble over on the Island of Yaros, but the Yunkish are talked down by Grazdan na Pahl, who promises to leave Yaros and abandon all attempts at an Meereenese colony there. * 265AC - Although several Great Masters argue against leaving, the Meereenese leave the isle of Yaros, fulfilling Grazdan na Pahl’s promise. * 265-276AC - After diffusing the tension on Yaros with the Meereenese, Yunkai enters over a decade of peace and prosperity through trade with Meereen. The two cities flourish under the Masters. * 277AC - Yunkish Wise Masters allegedly rig an election on the colony of Vochar. Astapor threatens to destroy the colony and sack Yunkai. Tensions remain high. * 279AC - The Dothraki Khal, Azho, visits Yunkai, bringing thousands of Lhazareen slaves with him. In return, he is gifted two hundred bedslaves, and the weight of him and his bloodriders in precious metals. The city of Yunkai has maintained good relations with the khalasar since. * 280 AC - Hearing of the Yunkish attempts to improve relations with the Dothraki Khal Azho, Meereen sends emissaries to seek out the khalasar of Khal Horro in the Disputed Lands, hoping to recruit him to fight against the young Azho. * 280 AC - Rumours have reached the Great Masters about a black market slave trader based somewhere in Mazdhan’s Maze. As of yet though, no attempts to track down this threat to their power have been made. Category:Slaver's Bay Category:Meereen Category:Ghiscari Category:Ghiscar Category:City Category:Essos